Fast food on trial

Junk male?

However tight you are with the clown, the king and the colonel, you know junk food has a bad rep. Criminally crammed with saturated fat and slathered in murderous carcinogens, in an ideal world youd never fraternize with the nefarious nutritional characters lurking on fast and convenience food menus.

But in the real world, when a man cant always lay his hands on a Mung Bean stir-fry or a cassava and ostrich egg-yolk omelette, there will always come a time when you have to make do  often around 11.27pm on Friday night. When that time comes, it pays to know that some junk foods are less guilty than others. Here's our verdict on five of the most popular snacks:

Burger King Whopper

The charges Processed meat contributes to a 20%-50% increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to evidence presented in Nutrition and Cancer.

The defence Ask for it without the mayo and youve got a great big lump of protein with carbs and a salad, says Marber. And 11g less fat. To reduce the saturated fat content, press down on the top of the burger so some of the fat drips out into the bottom bun, then remove this before eating. Further evidence of good character comes from a study by Baylor College of Medicine in Texas which found that iron absorption is 8% higher from beef than vegetable protein. And with the absorption of dietary iron  vital for energy and your immune health  generally running at around 15%, you need all the help you can get.

Summing up Wash it down with OJ  vitamin C increases iron absorption by up to 30%.

Pret classic super club sandwich

The chargesOne of the shadier characters on the sarnie shelves, this contains 29g of fat per sandwich, approximately half the recommended allowance for the average man. Its also high in omega-6 fats.

The defence A good lunch if youre planning an afternoon workout, says Marber. Youve got protein in the form of chicken and bacon, and the wholegrain bread means a good ratio of carbs to protein, which slows the conversion of food into glucose to keep your energy supply going.

The club also contains over 100% of your RDA of vitamin B6, and 93% of your niacin, which both help release energy from food. More evidence from the Journal of American Medicine shows those with high intakes of B6 are half as likely to develop lung cancer. Case closed.

Shish kebab

The charges Grilled chicken is a major source of potent carcinogen PhIP, the journal Nutrition and Cancer recently reported. Cancer project dieticians found thousands of nanograms of these carcinogens in chicken grilled for just three minutes.

The defence The facts, gentlemen, are in the figures. A shish kebab is great fast food, says Laubscher. Its grilled chicken breast, usually served in a pita or wrap so low GI, with a portion of nutrient-rich salad.

The defence also calls on expert witnesses from Duke University in the US, who found low-carb, high protein diets deliver more weight loss than low-fat, low-calorie diets.

Summing up Ask for a side of coleslaw  research published in Carcinogenesis found that supplementing a grilled meat diet with red cabbage reduced the development of pre-cancerous cells by up to 50%.

The defence Historical records show that the pastry plait at the edge was designed as a handle, to be used during eating and then thrown away. Follow the old school rules and youll perfectly balance the protein-to-carb ratio.

This balance of protein and carbs automatically gives a dish a low GI, even if its high in fat, says Marber. That means sustained energy and less troughing later on. The beef in a pasty also packs around half of your daily RDA of vitamin B12, a lack of which can mean depression and fatigue.

Chicken chow mein

The charges Chinese food often contains high amounts of monosodium glutamate, associated with liver damage and  the American Society for Clinical Nutrition testifies  weight gain.

The defence We have two different dishes here: crispy and steamed chow mein. The former is veritable Triad, fried and covered in a thick oyster sauce. The latter is a nutritional law-abiding steamed concoction, packed with nutrient-rich veg and sprinkled with soy sauce.

A recent study by scientists from the National University of Singapore has also shown that dark soy has ten times the antioxidant properties of red wine. After eating soy and rice, free-radical damage to cells was cut by 20%. Defintely not guilty as charged.

Summing up Add two extra tablespoons of dark soy to your rice or noodles.

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